So what’s your question: Getting to know the iconic Albie Sachs
This week Northglen News chats to Albie Sachs, who was instrumental in the fight for South Africa's freedom during Apartheid.
ABOUT 26 years ago, on 7 April 1988, Albie Sachs was critically injured when a bomb exploded as he opened the door of his car.
Sachs, working in Mozambique at the time, was a prime target of the South African Military Intelligence. Despite losing an arm and being blinded in his left eye, Sachs remained determined that the best revenge would be to continue the struggle for South Africa’s democracy, an ideal which was finally achieved in 1994.
The award-winning Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa, was one of the highlights of the Durban International Film Festival, and recounts the story of Sachs’ involvement in the struggle, from his first arrest as part of the defiance campaign, to his role as a judge on the Constitutional Court.
Boasting a wealth of archive material and interviews with Dennis Goldberg, Ben Turok, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi among others, this is the definitive account of one of the most respected South Africans of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Soft Vengeance premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. It is also making its Washington DC debut at AFI Docs, and it won the People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary at the Vancouver South African Film Festival. It also received the audience award for Best International Documentary at the recent Encounters Documentary Film Festival in Cape Town.
The film is set against the dramatic events leading to the overthrow of the apartheid regime in South Africa. As a young lawyer, Sachs defended those committed to ending Apartheid in South Africa.
About Saschs
FOR his actions, he was imprisoned in solitary confinement in Cape Town, tortured through sleep deprivation and forced to exile. In 1988, he was injured in the car bomb set by the South African security forces in Mozambique, which cost him his right arm and the sight of one eye, but miraculously he survived.
As he was recovering in a London hospital he received a note reading: “Don’t worry, Comrade Albie, we will avenge you.”
“What kind of country would it be,” he wondered, “if it ended up filled with people who were blind and without arms? If we achieve democracy, freedom and the rule of law, then that will be my soft vengeance.”
This belief was tested when he had the opportunity to meet the man responsible for overseeing the bombing, Henri van der Westhuizen, who is also interviewed in the film.
Returning to South Africa after the release of Nelson Mandela, Sachs helped write the new Constitution and was appointed as one of the first 11 judges to the new Constitutional Court. He drafted the opinion upholding same sex marriage, making South Africa the first country on the continent to recognise the rights of same sex couples.
After retiring from the court in 2009, Sachs has spent the last five years traveling the world as a spokesperson for human rights, reconciliation and peace. Sachs most recently received the 2014 Tang Prize Laureate in Rule of Law for his many contributions to human rights and justice globally.
“Albie could so easily have been consumed by hatred and lust for revenge,” comments Archbishop Desmond Tutu. “Instead he helped build a vibrant democracy. The film shows this and Soft Vengeance should be seen by as many as possible.”
About the film
THE film is narrated by Alfre Woodard, American film, stage and television actress, producer and political activist who is regarded as one of the most versatile and accomplished actors of her generation.
“We were honored to have Alfre narrate this film,” says Abby Ginzberg, filmmaker and Director of Soft Vengeance. “She was one of the staunchest US allies of the anti-Apartheid movement. We are extremely grateful for her participation in highlighting Albie Sachs and his contributions to peace and reconciliation in South Africa and across the globe.”
Soft Vengeance will be screened during the Durban International Film Festival on Saturday, 19 July at the Suncoast Theatre at 1.45pm; and on Monday 21 July at 5.45pm at the Musgrave Theatre.
Getting to know Albie Sachs
What things don’t you like doing? Name two.
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
What do you dislike about South Africa?
What makes you angry?
